MY CACI CLINIC JOURNEY

When I was thinking about starting a blog during the planning of our recent wedding, it was clear to me that this post would be one of the first. Since uploading an Instagram story last night reaching out for skin care specialist recommendations from my terrible outcome of Caci, I received more DM’s from you guys than I ever have before. Most wanting to know my experience, some worried as they are on their first appointment or thinking about going and more than a couple with their own story on how their time at Caci was a huge disappointment. It got my A into G after a couple of months thinking about it. Its now 9.22am the morning after, I’ve paid for a blog site, somehow managed to find how to write a post and here we are!

I’ll go from the start… getting engaged in March, deciding that we wanted to get married before we leave the country in August and Ihaia only having certain times off during his rugby season left me with 3 months to plan our wedding. Of course I automatically thought to cross the basics off first.. venue, photographers, dress and SKIN. My skin background is nothing out of the ordinary and I’ve been using Environ for 3 years which has been a dream to my skin and kept it clear with only the odd hormonal break out here and there only on my T-zone. I exercise often, drink enough water and take collagen in powder and tablet forms and vitamins such as fish oil which is all great for the skin. Being a huge user of social media, I had seen many influencers and bloggers raving about Caci Clinic, recording their appointments and walking out smiling so Caci was the first place that came into my head and I booked a consultation.

I won’t mention what Caci Clinic I went too or names in this. My plan going into Caci was to get my skin glowing and to prevent breakouts happening so I would not have to worry about a huge pimple appearing the morning of our wedding. I had a consultation at Caci with a treatment coordinator who I explained what I was wanting who then passed me on to meet the beauty therapist that would be doing my appointments. She took me through a similar conversation and planned for me to have microdermabrasion and led light treatment during my appointments which I agreed too (what would I know), I was given a free face sunscreen and was on my way with future appointments booked in, excited to get started.

My first appointment was great, felt just as relaxing as any other facial. The beauty therapist told me that she used glycolic that may lift some breakouts from my skin that will clear once they are all out. I mean, we’ve all heard that about a product before haven’t we! But the truth is, our skin doesn’t have breakouts sitting underneath waiting for a certain product to hit to come out. True to her word, my skin did break out. Quite a bit.. but back I went assuming it’d clear up and it wasn’t until I was 4 weeks out from our wedding and 2 or 3 appointments in did I have to ask her to stop using the glycolic as my skin was breaking out so bad that it hurt and I guessed it was that product. In the same week, I actually emailed Caci Clinic as the beauty therapist who was working on me, was playing with my hair each time I had the 30minute led light mask on my face, the first time she asked and I said oooookkk (a bit odd but she’d caught me off guard lol)… she plaited my hair and took it out before the led light time was up. I talked about that action with friends and family and they all commented that it was weird. The time I went back to her after that, I tied my hair in a low pony tail and tucked it behind my neck as I lay down but as the led light mask went on, without asking, she lifted my head, took out my pony tail and did the same thing. A bit intimate and uncomfortable for me so I asked to change beauty therapist. The new woman I got was super nice and friendly and the glycolic was not used on me again. However a couple more appointments of microdermabrasion and led light, along with the cleansers etc they use and my skin was still a mess. Each time I went in for an appointment, my beauty therapist asked how my skin was doing (look at it and what do ya think?!) and I always expressed my concern about it. My skin was so bad that it gave my own mum a fright when I showed her with no make up on! She instantly knew something was not right with the treatments I was getting but I was going back for each appointment as I had serious hope that THIS was the appointment that was going to clear up my skin.

Then wedding week came along – I had severe breakouts on my chin and cheeks and a blind pimple on my eyebrow. This made me self conscious leading up to and on my wedding day. I felt really terrible and am shocked about the results and how no-one at Caci tried to heal my skin/try something different or maybe even tell me that this is just not working. I don’t believe that they could have seen nothing wrong with me on my first appointment with my skin as it was to the last appointment I had with them and all the times in between where my skin was going from bad to worse.

I have attached two pictures of me on my wedding morning (and before pictures of how my skin usually is) taken by my amaaaazing makeup artist, Kate, from Beauty Book. She had a huge job on her hands! I went to Kate for my trial 3 weeks before my wedding day and she said that my skin had got worse since then, more proof that it was getting no better. Anyway, Kate did an amazing job in covering up my upset skin, I really couldn’t have asked for better and I thank her so much!

After my wedding day, I emailed Caci Clinic and complained. I explained what had happened to my skin, how I felt about it, to cancel all my upcoming appointments, attached the same pictures and asked for a refund of what I had paid ($330, I was on a monthly direct debit of $110). I was emailed back “The therapists do seem to have followed protocols, as to your skin concerns, so I am not sure what has happened” and to come in to talk to the manager and another staff member. I said that I am absolutely not going to make the effort to come in, I don’t want you to try and fix it and to please just refund me. I did get my money back which is a tiny victory in what this experience was. I understand that there is so much more to skin than just facials. Stress, sleep, what we’re putting into our body all counts towards what our skin does and I understand that everyones skin is different and these treatments may work/have worked for you! But I do truly believe that Caci Clinic is to blame for the state I was in on my wedding day and still am fighting to clear up. I believe I did what I could have at the time I was going into Caci from having to ask for products to be eliminated out myself, expressing concern about the breakouts and having to change my beauty therapist, it was all just a nightmare. I personally don’t think Caci personalises your skin treatment and has the heart to take care of an individual, it seems like a chain company that recruits inexperienced beauty therapists who works off a standard plan for each person. Your skin can totally effect your mood and confidence and feeling like I did on my own wedding day is just not on! Please do your research if you are thinking about getting skin treatments, look into places who are actually specialised in what they do and stick to products that your skin agrees with. I am slowly going to nurse my skin back to health by doing what I was doing before I involved myself with Caci and maybe even see a specialist to get their opinion. I wanted to share this as it took a huge toll on me and I am one in a million just sharing my experience on something. I’m guttered that this is the outcome for me but from the replies to my little Instagram story, its crazy how it only takes one to speak out to receive so many similar stories back.

That was a long blog and I’m sure I’ve forgotten some things along the way but if you have any questions etc please message me! Thanks for reading x

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